The Umbrella
by AbominableDante
Summary: Hakkai's POV. Banri comes for a visit.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers: **Borrowed from the manga, number 4 of Saiyuki Reload by Kazuya Minekura. I do not own the manga or the characters mentioned below and have not earned any money in the making of this fic. Most of the lines are word-for-word, if you're the kind of person who cares about things like that.

**Warnings: **Mild yaoi. Chapter 14 is the most explicit and will not be posted on ff dot net. A link will be provided for those interested when the time comes.

**Author's Notes: **This is Hakkai's take of when Banri shows up and gets Gojyo into trouble. It'll also be posted in full on my insanejournal, Mad Ouva. The link to that, if you care to read there (you should, I'll be posting more often there), the link is on my profile.

Please enjoy.

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I found myself often wondering if Kanan felt like this, waiting around for me to come back from work, cleaning the house, reading and cooking to please me and to keep herself entertained.

No wonder she'd wanted children. This was boring. Friendly as the shopkeepers were, much as I wanted to talk to them, they sensed something not quite right about me early on, and they had other customers to tend. Probably because I lived with the village outcast, I knew they suspected something was going on between Gojyo and me that wasn't accepted in polite society. Still, they gave me good prices on potatoes, who was I to complain about what they suspected?

Passing Gojyo on the street that day was like any other day, a slight jarring of the senses, as if I wasn't supposed to see him outside the house, as if we weren't supposed to talk. He was never unkind, but it seemed to surprise him that we existed in a world outside the one between the four walls of the shack, and I couldn't help feeling that I should've been home, prepping the potatoes I'd just dropped into my grocery bag.

He passed on, muttering something about being late. I sighed and headed home. It meant he was going to gamble for our rent and food money, that he was going to come home fairly drunk, reeking of women's perfume and sex, smoking through whole packs in one sitting until he was hacking like he had bronchitis.

I went home and cooked a full meal anyway, left it out on the table for when he got home and took none for myself, then went to bed early. I was proud of myself that I'd never once done this to Kanan in the same moment that I flipped off the lamp, wishing he'd stay out of a fight and get home safely.

I didn't manage to get to sleep until I heard him bang his way indoors, bumbling drunk. Beer made him a little clumsy, he'd run into a wall or two, but was generally harmless. I heard him sigh, pour himself a glass of water and fling his coat somewhere. A few minutes later, the sofa creaked under his weight, another sigh, then silence.

Without meaning to, I'd stayed up for him. I was turning into a fucking housewife.

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_Fin Chapter 1_

_Please Review_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Feels like I'm writing just for myself. Oh well. Will start editing things soon, I guess.

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**2**

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It was something I'd learned while teaching, how to work around someone who was sleeping, how not to try to be quiet and at the same time to not make any noise. There was the occasional clatter of plates, the rush of running water, the hissing of folded laundry, but nothing that would wake someone who wasn't ready to get up. He was up at nine, early for him, and peered around the doorway as if I was some stranger who'd walked in off the street and started cleaning his house.

He tended to forget, but he had dragged me here kicking and screaming. But that was, oh, months ago now, and I'm forgiving of those with convenient memories.

I offered to make coffee, knowing by the dazed look he gave me that he was hung over. Behind me, he shuffled and fell into a chair, lighting a cigarette even though I'd asked him time and again not to smoke in the kitchen. I supposed that this would be one rule I subtly added to the household that would always go ignored. If this was the only one, I didn't have a problem.

It was about being polite. He didn't bring his girlfriends here, I didn't bitch about having to clean his underwear. We lived in general harmony.

"Look, um…" he groused, sounding remarkably apologetic. I didn't bother looking up. "Sorry. For not eating dinner yesterday."

I set a clean ashtray on the table and went back to tending the coffee.

"It's all right. The food was cooked, so it will keep." Wrapped up and stuffed into the lukewarm refrigerator. I guessed everything would keep for a week now that the weather was starting to turn colder. It didn't matter, if things worked out, we wouldn't have to worry so much about scrounging up money for food. I poured us both mugs of coffee and sat down on the other side of the table.

"You know? I'm thinking of looking for a job soon." He looked up then, not surprised, but not happy. Rather like a man who'd just found out that his wife was telling him that she didn't think he was providing enough for the family. Almost exactly that look. I was upsetting the calm I'd forced on the house, previously out of habit.

"My injuries no longer bother me, and my artificial eye is working well. And, as a man, I can't keep letting you take care of me like this." I was sick of the housewife references, of the shopkeepers eyeing the back of my head, like I wouldn't be able to feel it. Scraps of pride were making that flavor bitter in my mouth.

"Aren't you the one taking care of me?" he asked with a smirk. The coffee was working.

I stared down into the murky liquid in my mug, feeling oddly sleepy. I'd stayed up too late and risen too early.

"Nothing of the sort. I feel like I'm making you uncomfortable, Gojyo." I did. We seemed to have become awkward since my return, there wasn't the old comfort of strangers that existed before Sanzo had come to retrieve me. Maybe it was because he knew what I was, that I only acted at being normal.

"It's not that, I just…I'm still getting used to all this," Gojyo began. I looked up then, curious. "I've always lived a punk life, y'know? Living on my own, doing whatever the hell I feel like. This button-down stuff doesn't really…fit."

I felt myself laugh, allowed myself to feel a little bit relieved. "I understand. We were different to begin with, right down to out habits."

The tenseness of last night and the morning seemed to seep out of the room after that. We sat quietly, drinking our coffee, Gojyo lighting a fresh cigarette off the first before stubbing it out. I got up and poured a second cup for both of us.

"We haven't talked much about ourselves. Have you always lived here alone?" I was curious. This was the same place he'd been living in when we'd first met, I still slept in the same bed I'd nearly died in. He still slept on the couch he'd occupied since carrying me home like some kind of puppy he'd picked up on the side of the road.

I was half convinced that he'd drag home sickly wolves one day. He seemed that kind of sap.

"Huh?" he said, coming out of his own thoughts. "Uh, no. I used to have another roommate."

I looked up, pondering about my suspicion of wolves when, with a crash, the door flew in. I leapt to my feet, Gojyo a beat behind me, the both of us ready for a fight. Youkai or human could be out of get us, for various things, and my mind was racking up a list of past indiscretions that would probably have brought this attack on.

"Who the hell are you?!" I occurred to me that I might've been better off asking that very question instead of wondering on my own, even as I reached for the thread of my power, ready to wind it into something powerful in case of attack.

"Shit," the stranger's voice ground out, gritty as a face being drug across gravel. "This place still looked like ass."

My teeth grit, biting back an acid reply, something along the lines of the place not looking quite so bad if certain guests hadn't kicked the door in and damaged furniture and lamps. I noticed the pointed ears before I'd spoken and decided it was best that I didn't attract attention to myself. This one might've been after me.

He pulled off his sunglasses, looking right past me, smirking.

"'Sup, Gojyo?"

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_Fin Chapter 2_

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	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Grawr, shouldn't stay up so freakin' late anymore. sucks down tea Need to start editing things. Probably wouldn't hurt to feed the pets either…

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**3**

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So he was after Gojyo, I assessed, tensing further. Whatever scrapes my housemate had got himself into, it was impossibly rare that they'd ever found there way here. This was the first time anyone had knocked in my door and the invasion of our privacy stung like a slap in the face.

"You son of a bitch," he muttered. Another half second and I'll have a good sized ball of chi to throw. I was ready to run if we had to, to save the house. "I'm not gonna tell you this again. The door opens **out**, Banri!"

All the nerves in Gojyo seemed to melt; he was loose again, joking around again. He threw a punch at the strange youkai, but there was nothing behind it when it contacted.

"Are you still shavin' your eyebrows? You look like you were in a damn fire."

"Eat me! That's the first thing you're gonna say to a friend after a year?" The youkai's voice made me want to clear my throat, but I felt that might've been rude. I forced myself to relax, staring with bewilderment as suspicion raged in my belly. They didn't seem to notice, too busy tossing friendly insults. I barely noticed when Gojyo thought to address me.

"Hakkai - right. This is Banri. We were like two nuts in a suck until a year ago. He's an old pal."

Banri had the audacity to salute at me.

I was too busy wondering what had happened a year ago that made them split up, jealousy roiling in my belly, to really care.

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_Fin Chapter 3_

_Please Review_

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**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton****: **Rori! Darling! (hugs) I think you'll like this one especially, bit of a treat for y'all toward the end. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **Finally edited everything, so the grammar should improve after this point. Of course, I got three hours of sleep last night, so it could be just as terrible as before.

(yawns at) I need more tea.

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**4**

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Somehow they managed to fight one another to the kitchen table and tumbled into their chairs. I took a seat between them, driven by my own curiosity. I had to get to Sanzo's place, he was expecting me for lunch, but I wanted to know if this youkai was just a punk and all right to leave alone with Gojyo, or a real danger. He didn't wear a limiter, and if Gojyo was under the impression that Banri was still a friend, he wasn't going to fight back.

As the minutes passed, as they chatted about what the newcomer had been up to, I was beginning to come to the conclusion that there was nothing to worry about. He spoke like an idiot. I picked up a place in the conversation and spoke up, ready to prove my suspicions.

"So is that why you left town?"

"Huh? Uh, not really – I fly the coop a lot." He looked guilty, then suspicious. Perhaps not such an idiot after all. "What was your name again?"

"Sorry. This's Hakkai," Gojyo pitched in. "Shit happened and he's here now." Trust him to be so eloquent. Banri peered at me, a knowing smirk almost on his face, looking like a jealous lover. Perhaps he was a jealous lover. It made me wish I'd fucked Gojyo, so he'd really have something to be angry about.

"Oh yeah? Hell, Gojyo – I leave for a year and you switch teams." I turned away, bored now. They were saying nothing intelligent and proved to be no real danger. I got the sense that Banri wanted me to leave, I was fine with that. I had places to be and this was getting to be uncomfortable.

"A lot happened while you were gone."

"If you were lonely, just say so. Hmm?" Gods, Banri was a prick. No wonder Gojyo liked him.

"Get bent. This place was a lot quieter without you mouthin' off."

"Look at the time. I should get going," I murmured, pretending that the kitchen clock was shockingly late. It was, but there was no real surprise in my voice. I got up and slipped on my shoes, grabbing a coat and heading out.

"You off to Sanzo's place?" Gojyo called after me.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Mr. Banri. You'll have to excuse me." It took everything in me not to run to Sanzo's, even when I heard Banri's voice come after me, muttering. It was a cruel voice.

"'You'll have to excuse me'? Man, he's all **proper**."

I always did hate punks.

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_Fin Chapter 4_

_Please Review_

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**To My Readers: **

**x-aiden-x****: **I'd alter the length of the chapters, but I pre-wrote everything before I'd posted the first chapter. Sorry, but the lengths are set as fairly short for just that reason. Glad you like it enough to ask, though, please keep reading.

**Rori Barton****: **You've only been reading my fics forever, Rori, of course you get a 'darling'. (pats head) Silly thing. And yes, last chapter was a tease. But I've edited now, and there's a little more emotion than the original writing, so there should be some really good Banri-hatin' soon. I hope you keep enjoying this fic.


	5. Chapter 5

Mathematics was something Goku simply didn't understand

**Author's Notes: **My goodness me, I'm updating daily. Perhaps I really do have no life. (flips opens book) Longest chapter to date...

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**5**

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Mathematics was something Goku simply didn't understand. It was nothing particularly complex, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction, but I had the feeling that using food as an example had a hand in his poor performance. I'd used rocks before, then insects picked out of the gardens, but he too quickly lost interest. At least with food involved he was trying.

He kept coming out with zero for every problem. The answer was six, or twelve, or four. Easy, small numbers. Years of teaching were starting to wear in the face of the boy's blind insistence that he would eat everything, thus ending in zero for every equation. I could tell that Sanzo's patience was even shorter than mine; he couldn't read his newspaper with 'such raging stupidity in the room', as he said.

"You're working with a monkey for free – it's not worth the effort," he growled, lighting a cigarette. I just smiled, used to his bitterness toward the boy. There was nothing really cruel about it, it was the same as when Gojyo teased Goku, the same kind of affection.

"Of course it is. It's a nice change, seeing Goku." It was also a nice change to get out of the house and actually have somewhere to go. I didn't like walking around the marketplace for hours, not when Banri was around. Like as not, gossip was saying he was back, and that perhaps I was getting kicked out while they had their fun, an easily disposed-of amusement. If I heard such talk, I might believe it.

I looked at Goku, frowning at an orange as if it might give him the answer. It made me smile to see him try to understand, the same way other children I'd taught tried to count or spell. Moments like that, he didn't look like a youkai; he just looked like a child.

"Besides," I sighed. "If I'm here, you have less to worry about, don't you?" After all, this was my check-in lunch. We had one every two weeks, just to make sure I hadn't skipped town or gone on a rampage and needed to be brought in for the Three Aspects to judge again.

"Forget it. Water under the bridge." The admission startled me, and I felt my eyebrow rise without my consent, turning to look at him over my glasses. Sometimes he really did act the forgiving priest, but when it happened was usually at the most unlikely times.

"Please, Sanzo. You're the reason I'm a free man. You were kind enough to ask the Three Aspects to let you keep an eye on me." That had been another moment he had shocked me.

"I knew you weren't a threat, whether I watched you or not." Ah. That sounded more like him.

"Oh? But that's not necessarily true, is it?" I couldn't help smirking.

It was his turn to study me, eyes suspicious. "That's something, coming from you. Did something happen?"

A split-second, I wanted to say yes, I wanted to explain that a youkai was in my house, that I was hiding out here. The second passed.

"Oh. Er, not really…"

Goku interrupted, full of excitement, and I'd never been happier for mathematics. Sanzo finally looked away.

"The oranges's sour!" His face was all twisted, and I held back a laugh.

"I told you not to eat them."

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_Fin Chapter 5_

_Please Review_

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**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton****: **Here's more for you. And perhaps you haven't lived forever, but you've been around quite some time, I'm sure.

**x-aiden-x****: **Thanks for reviewing.

**dk-joy****: **And look! More! Amazing! Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

It was dark by the time I got back to the shack, leftovers of my lunch under my arm, dinner for Gojyo if he was hungry

**Author's Notes: **If this fic isn't finished by this weekend, I won't be able to update everyday. Am moving my grandmother out of our house and won't have much access to reliable internet. If that happens, be patient, I'll update soon as I can.

Unless, of course, it's over before then.

**6**

It was dark by the time I got back to the shack, leftovers of my lunch under my arm, dinner for Gojyo if he was hungry. I had briefly forgotten that Banri was there, and was only reminded when I saw the broken front door leaning against the house. I sighed, wondering what they'd been up to if they hadn't bothered fixing the door.

"I'm home." It was a good habit to announce oneself, just in case someone was 'busy' or if they suspected that you were some kind of rampaging youkai out for blood. Or it would've been, if Gojyo wasn't passed out over the kitchen table. They'd polished off all the alcohol in the house, even the wine I'd bought for New Year's, even when Gojyo said he hated wine. The ashtray I'd washed that morning was overflowing.

Banri was nowhere to be found, and I'd half-hoped he'd left. I didn't mind that I'd have to clean up his mess, this was about the same amount of damage caused if Gojyo went on a bender. I set my bag of leftovers down and started to take off my jacket when I heard the toilet flush. My heart sank.

"Heya. Welcome home." His voice was even more guttural. I pretended not to notice that he couldn't quite stand on his own or that his clothes were disheveled. I pretended not to feel the threat of his presence, and went to drape my jacket over the back of a chair.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when he touched me, a thrill of terror and fury curling in my stomach. My first reaction was to punch him, how dare he take such liberties? How dare he breathe on me with that stinking breath, but he was just looking, thumb against the warm metal on my ear. I held myself still, muscles tight with rage.

"These're power limiters, ain't they?"

I knocked his hand away, my eyelid twitched.

"Hell, man. You're one of us?"

I couldn't keep the disrespectful tone out of my voice, almost scoffing. "'One of you'?"

"Youkai, baby."

I looked away then, down at Gojyo, and lowered my voice a decibel, aware that talking might wake him. There was no need for that right now.

"Yes. So to speak. Do you normally not wear limiters, Banri?"

He made a dismissive sound and sucked on the end of his cigarette.

"Why should we youkai hafta fit in with humans?" That made me look up.

"'A Shangri-la where humans and youkai coexist.' Ha! Yeah, right. Reality's not that sweet - human've always been on top. Those high-and-mighty bastards are freakin' prejudiced, y'know? They're afraid of us, so they make limiters and shit to control us."

"Well-" I began, but he cut me off.

"You get it, don't you? You're a youkai. It's even worse for a mutt like him." He motioned to Gojyo, still passed out even though Banri was on the point of shouting. I bent to pick up an empty wine bottle, finding myself caught by the look of the floor through the green glass.

"The world's against our blood, so they treat us like hoodlums. And before you say it, not all youkai are like me." I found that hard to believe. "Well, fuck 'em. Those humans'll get theirs."

"I wonder," I replied, my voice even softer. "It sounds to me like you're blaming your foolishness on society."

"What?" He seemed honestly surprised that someone didn't agree with him.

"You may be right about the problem of discrimination. But I know there are humans who don't buy into it." I'd once been one of them. Kanan had been one of them. I could hear my own voice harden. "And there certainly are problematic youkai in the world."

"Hey, man. Whose side are you on?" I contemplated breaking the bottle and slashing his throat. I wondered if was really worth more blood on my hands, and found myself smiling.

"I just understand how humans can feel," I said. "I think…I still hate youkai." A memory flashed, of her, of her blood, after all that fighting for her, of seeing her face one last time before loosing everything. She had been the only thing I'd ever truly loved, gone in an instant. My head throbbed.

"Uh, pal? Look in the mirror."

"I know," I hissed. "Perhaps the hatred I feel for myself, a youkai…is yet another punishment I've been given." It'd make sense, but the Three Aspects wouldn't have needed to bother with putting that emotion there. It had existed weeks before they'd brought me in.

"Watch it. I don't like all this 'hate youkai' shit of yours." I ignored his frown and set the wine bottle upright on the table. He looked about to hit me.

"Well, that's not quite what I meant." A smile, the need to clarify, he was glaring when I looked up. "You turn my stomach."

He still didn't understand, but that was fine. He was moving, gripping my collar, acting a threat when he wasn't one. He was drunk and I was not, he was angry and that made him foolish, let himself be egged into a fight. And I knew already that I was more deadly.

"What the hell do you take me for, puissant?" he shouted.

He had been stupid enough to leave my arms hanging, expecting me to just take it. I turned his grip against him and thrust him down and away. He sprawled on the floor, bewildered, cursing.

"Be careful," I whispered, finding it easier to smile now. "It's unwise to anger me."

He might've got up to fight if Gojyo hadn't woken up, slurring, "What're you two doing?"

Instantly, I smiled, innocent and oblivious as expected. He knew better than to believe such a look, but he was still very drunk and probably didn't notice.

"Oh, well. We're not doing anything."

Banri struggled into a chair and spat.

"Hey, Hak-" he stopped himself. Perhaps he had noticed. I was already heading to my room, unwilling to turn around and explain things.

"I've done enough. I don't…want to hurt anyone anymore." Even Banri, if I could help it. No one else needed to die.

I slammed the door before he could think to reply.

_Fin Chapter 6_

_Please Review_

**To My Readers: **

**dk-joy****: **Goku does his bit as the clown, doesn't he? Makes me feel better to be reminded that some people are worse at math than I am.

**Rori Barton: **I have not had such a day. (peers at) The very sight of numbers makes my brain click off.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes: **And now a chapter not found inside the manga. Amazing. (Wishes she could smoke inside).

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I couldn't quite shake the constant feeling of exhaustion, or hold back a sigh every time I saw the house beyond my bedroom door. The two men sprawled on the floor or over the table, buried among their vices of liquor and cigarettes. I emptied the ashtrays, but it seemed that the next time I looked, they were full. Everything in the house reeked, and the scent of smoke seemed to constantly be under my fingernails.

I used to like cigarettes, used to have rather the chronic habit. I used to like the smell, associated it to the things in life I could depend on, that every one of them was good, that it accompanied the flavor of coffee, that I could steal them from Gojyo's pocket while he slept and he wouldn't notice them missing. I used to believe I didn't mind the smoke, like a fog through the house.

I minded now. It saturated everything, screwed up my sense of smell and taste, made me crave a few myself though I'd supposedly quit years ago.

The drunken bantering topped all that, the way they fumbled at wit like a child's game of tag, the way their grammar slurred every sentence into a single word. They spoke of times I'd never seen, about a Gojyo I'd never met. They ignored me except to ask when dinner was, or if I'd bought beer and cigarettes when I was at the market.

I took every opportunity to escape, knowing that I was being a coward in running away. I didn't want to confront the problem, I didn't want to order Gojyo to choose between me or his friend. I believed that he would choose Banri, and knew already that I couldn't stand to hear those words. To be dumped for an asshole was more shame than I could handle.

I didn't go into town when the food ran out, I figured they could fend for themselves or starve, and went to explore the forests behind the house. I found small pools already too cold in Fall to swim in, with water so clear I could see the rocks at the bottom. I found species of trees I hadn't known existed, and that the forest was ten times louder than any city I'd ever seen. It was peaceful in those woods, I sometimes stayed out there overnight.

When I got back, no one noticed I'd even been gone. It made my stomach ache.

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_Fin Chapter 7_

_Please Review_

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**To My Readers: **

**MidnightStorm98****: **Thank you. Am glad you're liking the story so far. (bows)


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: **I finally got a Beta. Her name is ScribbleSama, I know her in the real world. Rather happy I don't have to play 'find the typo' anymore. So now if there's an error, I can blame her. (smiles)

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**8**

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Two weeks later, Banri was still living with us, still drinking himself into a stupor with the money that came from who-knew-where, still being noisy and testing the limits of my patience every chance he got. He still sent possessive looks at Gojyo when I came into a room, claiming what he thought to be his, languishing in my chair. After a point I stopped caring if it had once been his chair. He had been gone by then, he should be gone now, he had no place here anymore. I was thankful that today was my lunch with Sanzo, and decided that I needed to separate Banri from Gojyo, just for a little while.

Gojyo was starting to turn into something rather like his friend. I didn't like the transition, it wasn't him. I found an excellent excuse to leave early when a letter from Sanzo was sticking under door, demanding our immediate presence.

I managed to rouse Gojyo from the sofa and hustle him out the door, lured with coffee and promises of food at the end of our little walk. He was too hung over to do anything but argue, and he didn't notice where we were going until we sat at a low table and sipped a cup of tea one of the acolytes had served. Sanzo wasn't there yet, but this was his room, and Gojyo growled blackly at the sight of it, struggling to his feet.

I grabbed his wrist and sent him a withering look, and he sank back into a cross-legged slouch with a sigh.

"Sanzo said he wanted to see us, so at least be polite and see what he has to say. And look, free breakfast."

"Too hung over to eat," he hissed, sucking down his coffee. He was pouring himself a second cup when Sanzo came in and took it from him.

"Mine!" Gojyo snarled, but was easily placated with the mug I thrust under his nose. My patience was running low after two weeks of having Banri around. I motioned for Sanzo to start talking, curious that he had invited us here before he'd had his first cigarette. Goku said he was pretty foul-tempered in the mornings, but I couldn't tell much difference. I could tell that Gojyo's mind was slowly drifting as the man spoke.

"I have orders to settle the situation quickly," he said a few minutes later. "But I'm too busy to deal with it right now, which is where you come in. I need you two to destroy the organization and retrieve the stolen goods."

"You lousy…Since when is your job our problem?" Gojyo snapped.

"Behavior aside, you're both capable enough. Behavior aside," Sanzo said with a long-suffering sigh, lighting a cigarette.

"Still…" I began. I didn't want to do his job either, I didn't see it as my problem.

"This isn't an order from the Three Aspects. It's a request from me. Your expenses will be reimbursed." Leave it to Sanzo to resort to bribery. Gojyo stumbled to his feet and out the door.

"Get real, jackass. I pass." I sat up straighter and sighed. I didn't like the idea of being bought either.

"I'm afraid I'd like to refuse as well. From now on I hope to live a quiet life. You're the one who gave me that opportunity, aren't you?" He wouldn't take that away, would he? Or had he kept me alive to use me. I wouldn't be surprised if he had. The very idea struck me as horrid, using another as a means to an end.

He blew smoke down at the table, quietly furious.

"You're all useless."

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_Fin Chapter 8_

_Please Review_

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**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton****: **It's quite all right. I do hope you had an enjoyable weekend.

As for how Gojyo is acting, it's pretty normal with people. Ignoring a new friend for an old one, or old for new. Happens all the time, and don't worry, he'll be getting some smackdown for it later. But you knew that, haven't read the manga. (smirk)

**x-aoden-x: **(bows) Thank you.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes: **Was the last chapter so bad it didn't deserve a single review? Somewhere in the bottom of my black, black soul, I'm a little hurt.

Gonna go pout in this corner over here…

Also, a reminder that I won't be posting this weekend. Moving people around and all. Will be back to regular scheduling Monday.

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**9**

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When we got back to the house, Banri was gone. All of his clothes were gone, and the fresh pack of beers that was supposed to be in the fridge were gone. It seemed he'd done as promised and 'flown the coop'. I hoped he would do us a favor and never come back.

Gojyo, on the other hand, sank down onto the couch and sighed, peering around the messy house as if his best friend from childhood had just moved away. I didn't bother to comfort him, he'd been too much of an asshole the past two weeks to deserve more than a cup of coffee dropped in his lap, scalding hot vengeance. I stayed in the kitchen and started to clean up.

We had a few quiet hours before someone knocked on the door and pushed it open. I really needed to get that thing fixed…

"Is that you, Banri?" I called, drying my hands off and going to answer the door. Two youkai, both taller than me, stood in the doorway.

"You Sha Gojyo?" I looked at them, expression flat. Wonderful, troublesome friends of Banri, just when I'd believed to be rid of him.

"Do you honestly think I am?" I muttered.

"You say it like it's a bad thing, Hakkai. Who is it?" Gojyo was so oblivious sometimes. Had he no idea I hated him as much as I did Banri by now?

"There y'are," said the bigger one, cigarette dangling between his lips as he talked. "Sorry, pall, but you're comin' with us."

"And who the hell are you?" Gojyo growled back.

"You know a guy named Banri? He sent us. Told us to bring back the guy named Gojyo from here." His grammar made me twitch.

Gojyo thought for a minute, and then puffed a long trail of smoke, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sure. Lemme get my purse."

I started. He wasn't supposed to just go with them; I expected that anyone to do with Banri was trouble. "Gojyo. I think something's wrong. Why didn't Banri come him-"

"Can it," Gojyo snapped. "This isn't your business."

The words made me go cold. So he was cutting me out, for real this time. Not because Banri was distracting him. There was no longer a place for me in his life, it seemed. I could feel my face close up, my feet move back and my shoulders go up in a shrug. As if I didn't care, as if it didn't matter at all.

"No," I said, "I don't suppose it is."

That he'd left without tuning back to look was reason enough for me. I searched for my suitcase and started to pack.

* * *

_Fin Chapter 9_

_Please Review_


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Woo, I'm back. The move went without a hitch (except the whole parents lying to me about going home a day early bit), and Rosamond's all moved into the Retirement home. Woman's not our problem anymore, we're all rather delighted.

I celebrated by telling my father that I was getting the rest of my ear piercings, it just depended on where, at home or at school. He said to do it at home, so two hours after we got home, I went out and did it. Before I had only one in each ear, now I have four in each. Like Farfarello. They make me feel pretty. June's going to hate them, probably spew more nonsense about how so many holes will scare off possible suitors and make me unmarriable.

She shouldn't say things without thinking; everyone knows I'll never get married.

About the chapter, it felt like a stretch, but eh. Lazy. Moving on…Please thank my beta for checking after me for major errors.

* * *

**10**

* * *

Everything I owned fit into one suitcase, the rest I could wear. A few extra shirts, other things I pulled out of the laundry, my favorite teacup. I didn't have much of a plan beyond getting to Sanzo's place. He'd let me stay there until I had enough money for my own place, perhaps enough to leave town. There wasn't much that tied me to this place anyway, not anymore.

I'd never had much, not much more than what I wore. The only time I really saw prosperity was with Kanan, and I was still teaching. We had rented a house in town, earned enough to be comfortable, to think of savings and children. It was the first time in my life I'd had enough money to actually think into a future that wasn't directed on finding more to survive. Kanan had allowed that.

I had, stupidly, begun to believe that I wouldn't have to worry so much about that with Gojyo, that we could just live some semblance of a peaceful life. It seems I wasn't destined for that. I figured my problem was that I depended too much on other people for my happiness.

I wrapped my teacup in a shirt and clipped my suitcase shut, then headed for the door, pausing once to peruse the bookshelf. There was nothing there I wanted. There was nothing from here that I wanted, nothing that might remind me. Vagabonds didn't have memories.

It started raining the moment I pulled the front door closed, soaking through my jacket and running down my face.

"I wonder if it'll rain until I leave?" I fancied that the town was crying for my goodbye, a stupid idea. I sighed down at the muddy street, the one Gojyo had found me dying in, the gutter he'd picked me out of, like someone's lost dog. My breath hitched and I glared at the sky.

There was no way I could leave. Regardless of how much of an ass he'd become, I wasn't doing anything more than running away. And I'd miss it here, I'd miss him. I already missed him and I wasn't five feet from the front door. This place was my home now, and he needed my help to restore it back to the way it was.

"Fine," I breathed, rubbing my eyes under my glasses. "To hell with it."

* * *

_Fin Chapter 10_

_Please Review_

* * *

**To My Readers: **

**damm416****: **As a matter of fact…Nah. Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like this story so much, but make sure not to trip over anything on your run, ok? Wouldn't want you getting hurt on account of me.

**fullmetalguitar****: **Well, if you've read the manga, you know he gets pretty beat up anyway. Just not from Hakkai. Or for being a bastard. Am I giving away too much of the story? Anyway, good to hear from you again.

**kls12****: **Yeah, I'm a huge Hakkai/Gojyo fan too. They're just so sweet together, really perfect in the way they aren't.

**x-aiden-x****: **You love them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes: **I know! I know! I forgot to post! I'm sorry! (insert random excuses about planning for Otakon here) Anyway, in case I managed to forget to mention it, I'm going to the anime convention in Baltimore, Otakon. Much cosplaying and shit will be done. I won't be around from Thursday to Sunday evening. Therefore no posts.

Again, sorry. I'll post another chapter today to make up for it.

* * *

**11**

* * *

I dropped my suitcase by the door and looked around the house for a good reason to pretend I was going to find Gojyo for any other than to save his ass. I found two umbrellas in the kitchen and headed for town, not really sure exactly where I was going. Usually Gojyo was easy to follow, there was a certain feel in the air where he had been, but it was masked by the youkai who had taken him.

I still managed to track the building down, determined that this time, no youkai was going to take someone from me again. No point in allowing that, not when I was more powerful than any of the thugs in this town. Gojyo was mine, he wasn't allowed to die for assholes like Banri.

I snuck along the outside of the building, listening for his voice, and held still when I heard it, laughing. I knew that sort of laugh, he was looking for a fight, looking to piss someone off, his suicide laugh. I suppose he had a right to believe that no one was coming for him, and I held back a moment longer, savoring that thought, the thought that he did still want me around, if only to get him out of that situation.

He didn't really want to die, he just wanted to live like everyone else.

It was a good moment to move in when I heard a gun click, and I kicked at the door until it crashed open, knocking two youkai guards, down the stairs. I looked around, assessing how many were there, escape routes, whether or not Gojyo was badly beaten. They had a gun to his head, and my gut twisted in a moment of terror.

"Ah. Sorry." He looked surprised to see me, and it made me smile. "I thought I'd bring him an umbrella."

"H-hey. What are you doing here?" he sputtered. I sighed as if in disappointment.

"Really, I was always aware of the stupidity. But not that it could go this far."

The poor man was insulted; he wasn't as badly wounded as he looked.

"I mean mine, of course. And the fact that I'm getting involved with this." It was stupid. This organization could be spread far and wide, I was asking for trouble saving Gojyo. This might happen again and again until we were all dead. I found I didn't care; I just wanted Gojyo back.

"Look. I said it at the house – this's got nothing to do with you!" How sweet of him, trying to protect me.

"You also said that people don't change easily." I had to tell him I forgave him. He'd been a right prick the past two weeks, but I forgave him whether or not he wanted. "I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none."

He stared at me, then smiled and set his head back, letting himself be forgiven. It seemed to exhaust him. "Just like me."

The others in the room, who had been so politely quiet during our exchange spoke up, presented themselves like ducks in a row for shooting. There was no way I could beat them up with a couple of umbrellas, not as a human.

"I suppose I have no choice. Careful, though. It'll be hard for me not to kill you."

I reached for my limiters and picked them off, one after the other, dropping them aside. The change from human to youkai was faster than I expected, my skin thrummed with power, my hair brushed long against my cheeks. It felt nice, skimming razor-sharp nails across my own face, baring pointed teeth at the cowering masses. Gojyo looked a little more than terrified and was trying to loose himself from the chair he was tied to.

Flesh tore easily under the barest ministration, and blood was warm when it hit my face, but the noise was immense. I didn't stop killing until they stopped screaming, lusting only for silence now.

* * *

_Fin Chapter 11_

_Please Review_

* * *

**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton: **(smiles) I'm glad you still like it. And yes, Minekura gives us great hope, usually by dangling it right under our noses…

**fullmetalguitar****: **Because love makes you stupid. Really stupid. You have no idea how stupid. Think of stupid to the tenth power and it isn't even close.

**x-aiden-x****: **But they make life more interesting…


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes: **As promised, the second chapter. This is not the end. I promise you. Don't freak out, there is more. It's just not coming until Monday.

In the real world, it's become a sort of game for me, to see how long it takes until June notice the fresh metal in my ears. Cruel of me, to toy with her like this, to find amusement in how oblivious she is (to be just this grateful to have long-enough hair to disguise them), but when has the morality against cruelty ever stopped me?

I'm up to two days. I'm aiming for the end of the month. Or as long as it takes for David to crack.

* * *

**12**

* * *

We were one umbrella short, but there didn't seem to be a possibility of getting it out of that youkai's chest, so I left it, picking up the last limiter and clipping it back onto my ear. I was fleetingly glad that my hair wouldn't have to be cut, that it had gone back to normal on its own. I didn't really trust Gojyo with a pair of scissors. I wiped my face on my sleeve and pulled my coat back on as Gojyo grabbed the second umbrella and stepped outside.

"Look at that. It's stopped already," I said, cheerful as ever. The moon was out now, low over the edge of the roof. It was humid and the mud in the street sucked at my shoes, but the chill made my coat feel all the warmer.

"Well, bringing you an umbrella was a waste." As if that had been my only objective. I reached for the umbrella and he silently handed it over, looking down as I tucked it under my arm.

"Listen, you." Gojyo had his hands in his pockets, slouching over a bruise he said was on his ribs. "I didn't ask you to come help me."

"Oh, sure, sure." It made me smile. He never needed to ask. "But isn't it something? We ended up fulfilling Sanzo's request after all."

"Which makes this all suck harder!"

I laughed softly and straightened my glasses.

"Gojyo." He kept looking away. "If you knew it was a trap, why did you take Banri's place?"

A long moment passed, we started walking home.

"Eh, y'know," he finally said. "He would've been screwed on the off chance he did come back."

So he knew. He knew I would've killed him for doing that to Gojyo. Perhaps not so stupid after all. I kicked a rock.

"Honestly. You make a terrible villain," I muttered. But he laughed.

"Shut up."

* * *

_Fin Chapter 12_

_Please Review_


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: **Okay, so I lied. Sort of. In a good way. I said I wasn't going to post today and I am. What can I say? Waiting for your ride to pick you up for the con is really boring. I'm posing in another story too, writing and editing four more…

This writing thing might be a problem when school rolls around. For once I want to do well in my classes. I want straight A's. I haven't been on honor roll since middle school, but I want to now. Mostly, I need the scholarship money to get me through undergrad and then into a good school more than halfway across the country.

Anyway, yay, enjoy the chapter. See y'all Monday.

* * *

**13**

* * *

He saw the suitcase when we got home, and looked up at me for an explanation. It was my turn to avoid his gaze. I found a sheet that we could live without and tore it into strips, then located a bottle of whiskey to soak a rag. I made a lot of fuss over small wounds, cuts were cleaned sterilized, and I checked for broken bones. There weren't any, he'd gotten off lucky. I amended that next time they wouldn't get close enough to spit in his face, much less throw a punch.

He took the treatment silently, flinching at the burn of alcohol until I let him take a swig, watching as I fixed him up. I was sewing up a particularly deep cut on his bicep when I felt fingers in my hair, against my ear, gentle, fleeting things, as if they were nothing more than wind. I pretended not to notice, determined to finish this at least before becoming distracted.

"Hakkai…"

"They did quite a number on you, didn't they?" I said, pushing the needle through with a little more force that necessary. I didn't like fixing him up this way, sewing stitches in flesh was a slippery, messy job. I resolved to find out more on healing magic, to see if I could do it.

Gojyo's hand moved under my chin and tilted my head up, pressing warm lips to mine. I tasted blood, alcohol, saliva that wasn't mine. It wasn't wretchedly unpleasant, but it was awkward. I pulled away first, slowly, as not to insult him, and went back to finishing the last two stitches. My hands were trembling. I could feel him watching me.

"You were going to leave, weren't you?" he said, voice low and sleepy. I tied off the thread and clipped it short, then set the needle aside to be cleaned later. He stopped my hand as I reached for a bandage.

"I was. I decided not to. I'll put my things back later." Evasive, I tried to look elsewhere.

"Why?" He wasn't going to let go until he got an answer, it seemed, and I didn't want to break his fingers. I sighed and looked at him, his eyes bored into mine.

"Why did I want to leave or why did I stay?"

"Both?"

"You were being an asshole and you needed someone to save you," I said, blunt for me. I supposed he was getting used to having to drag real answers out of me, that this was a shock. He let go and I snatched up the bandage to roll onto his arm.

"I was being an asshole? You're the one who was being an unfriendly bastard."

"You had to have noticed just how much of a prick Banri was, otherwise you really are as stupid as you act," I spat. "Besides, you had your great old friend back, what use did you have for me? Not like me to be a third wheel."

A pause, and I tied the bandage into a knot, tight enough to make him hiss.

"So you were jealous." Not a question. He was preening. I got to my feet and started cleaning up.

"Regardless, it's over now. Hand me that bowl, would you?" He didn't move, so I reached for the bowl myself, determined to clean everything, take a shower and go to bed.

He lit a cigarette, moving the ashtray closer, and let me clean up in silence. I was so focused on not dropping the bowls, on not shuttering at the sight of his blood, that it didn't register that he had slid his chair back and wound an arm around my waist until he was there. He pressed up against me, warm. He had the wrong idea of how things were going to go, if he thought he was going to get away with acting out like this.

I set the plate down and turned my head away when he tried to kiss my cheek, gently pressing a threatening elbow against his bruised side. He backed off and let me duck into the bathroom. The door had no lock, but he knew better than to come in, so I had a few minutes to collect my thoughts.

* * *

_Fin Chapter 13_

_Please Review_

* * *

**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton: **It's quite all right, I'm forgiving of a couple missed chapters if it's you.

**damm416****: **(excited squee) Oh, god, I can't wait! I'm cosplaying as Farfarello from Weiss Kreuz all three days and will be doing mad shopping. I really hope you have fun at the con!

**x-aiden-x****: **Me taking a few days off might slow it down for you…


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Notes: **Con was fun. Now I have to find a place to live when classes start. Apparently the guaranteed housing isn't actually guaranteed. I can't help thinking I chose the wrong school.

* * *

**14**

* * *

I was clean now, and had pulled on my pajamas, but left my shirt unbuttoned. My hair dripped over my shoulders, chilly. Fingers stroked over the scar on my stomach as I stared into my reflected face, trying to figure out if what I thought I wanted was what I really needed, if I could possibly handle doing this all over again. Could I survive love a second time?

I only knew that I wanted it and that I was terrified. I knew that if I stayed in here much longer Gojyo was going to check if I'd slipped out through the window. I knew that I didn't want things to happen in here, where it was bound to be uncomfortable for everyone involved.

I sighed and set my glasses by the sink, brushed my hair out of my face and scrubbed a toothbrush in my mouth. No point in tasting like the last thing I'd had in my mouth, and there was no telling where that boy's arm had been before I'd pulled it off. I spat until my teeth were no longer pink, turned off the tap and came out of the bathroom.

He was waiting for me in the couch, reading, a cigarette between his lips. He looked up when he heard me, and slipped a mark into his book before getting to his feet.

"Look, Kai…I'm sorry about the past two weeks. You're right, things've been pretty wild and-"

"Oh shut up and come to bed already, Gojyo," I muttered, turning into my bedroom. He stood there, blinking. He'd spent the past months on the couch, this would be the first time I'd ever invited him to bed with me. I wondered if he was as nervous as I was.

I turned to peer at him over my shoulder, my eyebrow cocked. He didn't look nervous, but confused, as if he'd expected to be the one initiating things. Funny, how he got that idea.

"Well?" There was a hint of confidence in my voice. I knew he was going to follow me, there was nothing for me to worry about on that front. He started forward, climbed over the couch and slammed the bedroom door closed behind him.

I surged forward, pressing him back against the door, tilting my head up to meet his kiss as my fingers slipped over his chest. They bumbled over bandages, gently explored the warmth of bruises, then moved up, up, into his hair, still caked and tangled with dirt and gore. I split his lips with my tongue and heard him moan, his hands slid under my shirt and down my back. I knew where they were heading and pulled away with a warning look.

"Let's get one thing straight…" I growled, pulling him away from the wall and shoving him down onto my bed. He seemed to take too much joy in ruffling the neatly-made sheets, and smirked up at me when I climbed after him and pressed a thigh between his legs.

"…I'm on top."

* * *

_Fin Chapter 14_

_Please Review_

* * *

**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton: **You'd think that…But Gojyo seems to be a thick fellow at times.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes: **This isn't cheating, not really. So I didn't post yesterday, most of you are asleep right now. It's three in the morning, after all, you ought to be asleep. What's wrong with you, being insomniacs?

Do I expect this chapter to work for both yesterday and today? Absolutely.

Do I believe this chapter will have me banned from forever? Absolutely.

Do I feel like a sellout for finally writing what one could pretty much call 'porn'? …Yeah, actually I do…My ratings so better go up for this…

* * *

**15**

* * *

"…I'm on top."

He smiled up at me then, languid as a pleased cat, and brushed my damp hair out of my face.

"Fine with me. You're wearing too many damn clothes." He plucked at the shirt that was half off my shoulders, and I let it slide off, crumpling to the floor.

"So are you," I muttered, leaning down to kiss him again, hands reaching between us to unbuckle his belt and pants and slip inside. He was hard inside his boxers, and moaned when my fingers traced the outline of his erection. Hands reached up to reflect my actions, but I snatched them up and held them above his head, pressing them down into the mattress as I plundered his mouth, the nicotine bitter and minty on my tongue.

"Oh…oh god, Hakkai…Like that…" His babbling was annoying. I took any moment I could to kiss him, even as we shoved our respective pants down, even as I spat on my fingers and told him to spread his legs.

He did as asked, staring up at the ceiling and frowning as he felt the first finger slip in. He clenched, shaking now, possibly rethinking whether or not this was such a good idea. My free hand grasped his erection and gave it a gentle squeeze, and he moaned softly, relaxing a little around my finger as it wiggled deeper inside.

"That's it," I said, pulling my finger out and pushing a second in, scissoring them. He arched, hissing in pain, and I set a soothing hand on his belly. "Relax, Gojyo. This'll feel good in a minute."

"It fucking better, Hakkai," he hissed, all sorts of threats implied. That he didn't like this part wasn't my problem, he'd warm up to it soon enough. I pulled my fingers out and spat again into my hand to slick my erection. I heard him gasp quietly when he felt the head of my cock circling his stretched hole, but he was silent as I pushed inside, slow and careful so there was no tearing. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he breathed and I tilted my head down to suckle at it. It made him whisper a curse.

Soon, too soon, he was fully seated on me, and I had to pause and catch my breath. He wrapped a leg around my hips and brought my face down to kiss, and I made my first small thrust. No more than a slight jerk of hips, but it made him shutter and close his eyes. I made another, then another, hands skimming over his chest and up his sides, searching for any spot that made him writhe. Fingers flicked at his nipples and he arched, his fingernails digging into my back.

"Harder, Hakkai!" he called, twisting himself down to counterthrust, reaching between us to jerk himself off. "Harder!"

I slammed myself into him countless times, aiming sloppily for his prostate, making him cry out. His hand flew over his erection, and I deftly tugged it away, replaced it with my own hand. His eyes snapped open then, and he gasped as he felt my fingers tighten around him. It only took a few final tugs before he climaxed, spurting out over both our chests, coating my hand with the sticky white. He was tight around me, his leg pressed against my back and I managed one last thrust before following, cursing softly under my breath as I filled him.

We held still for a few minutes, panting, staring into one another's faces, before I looked away and pulled out. A little warm come and the pink hint of blood trickled from his ass, and I smiled to myself as I reached for my pajamas to wipe up our mess. Gojyo was still basking, eyes half closed, head lolling to the side as I wiped down his chest. He only smiled when I slid the cloth between his legs, and moved to open his legs wider.

"We never did it, you know," he grumbled as I tossed my dirty pajamas back to the floor and stretched out beside him. He sat up and lit a cigarette, reaching with is free hand to slide fingers down my side. I liked that.

"Did what?" I sighed, sleepy now. Maybe we could have another round after a nap, I supposed.

"Sex. We just messed around, but we never fucked."

I smiled and sat up, leaning forward as if to kiss him, then stealing his cigarette. I blew smoke in his face, amused by his surprised look.

"That's good," I replied. It didn't really matter, he was mine now, and I didn't share. "I don't much like competition."

He laughed and stole his cigarette back, stubbing it out as he kissed me. "What competition?"

* * *

_Fin Chapter 15_

_Please Review_

* * *

**To My Readers: **

**Rori Barton: **I take full blame. I'm a bad, bad person. Give me cake.

**x-aiden-x****: **Am glad you do.

**damm416****: **The con was fantastic, but I was ready to go home on Sunday. It's fun and all, but two full days of people wore me out. By the way, if you really die, can I have your playstation?

**dk-joy****: **It's just like Gojyo to be okay with it. He's such a pervy kappa.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Notes: **So, at last, this is the final chapter. That's it, the end, the finale. Of course I'll be writing other things, but this story is quite over. Now that that's been said, an update.

I'm in the midst of six (6) upcoming Saiyuki fics, plus two (2) still in the drafting stages, four (4) drafts for the manga Wild Adapter (also by Minekura), a new story for Cowboy Bebop, a new story for Harry Potter (or rather, the promised sequel to 'Addictions and Distractions' that was put up, what, a year ago?) and in development for new chapters in 'Glimpses'. Much work is being done, things will be updating, I hope, quite frequently. All this is assuming my beta doesn't start ignoring her work for her real job and a visitor from Seattle. Otherwise, I'll be forced to edit by myself, and we all know how awful that is.

A shout out to Roxie Faye, because I actually kind of know her in real life. Didn't even realize it. Am amazed. And pretty sure she hasn't read this fic. Regardless, a hello should she get around to it.

* * *

**16**

* * *

It had been hard getting out of bed the next day. The morning was cold and the sheets and body I had wrapped around were humid and very warm. Still, if we wanted to be paid for doing Sanzo's dirty business, we'd better get to the temple and claim our money while the man was feeling magnanimous.

It was late, nearly ten when I checked the clock on the nightstand, but I shut my eyes again and pressed my face against Gojyo's naked shoulder, more than happy to go back to dozing. We hadn't slept much, and the only thing that kept me from dreaming was the idea that Sanzo might revoke our right to bill him. I decided that he could pay for our broken door and Gojyo's wounds in retribution for luring us out of bed with money.

'The man had better be grateful,' I thought bitterly as I unwound myself from my bedmate and climbed over him to the floor. Padding to the kitchen, the house was cold, and I absently wished I'd pulled on a robe as I set the coffeemaker on the stove. Gojyo came in behind me, muttering about his ass hurting.

"Why are we awake?" he asked, reaching for a cigarette. I held his lighter for him as he puffed and sat back.

"Getting paid. Can't have Sanzo claiming things are dealt with without our due. Go get dressed, we leave in twenty minutes."

"I am not hiking up that hill, Hakkai. I can't even sit right."

"You'll feel better after a little exercise," I said, smiling. He could suffer a little for my amusement. "Now go, or you don't get any coffee."

Thirty minutes later, we shuffled into Sanzo's room and I had drawn up a bill of payment. We were getting out of this with a small fortune, on account of small things like broken umbrellas and wounds that didn't exist. It wasn't beyond me to cheat a little.

Goku came up to me, holding the oranges I'd left with him to use for homework.

"Six minus two, right? It's gotta be zero!"

I smiled. "And your reasoning?" He threw one at me, then two more at Gojyo and Sanzo.

"'Cause we're all gonna eat!"

Gojyo huffed a soft laugh and popped a slice into his mouth. "Sweet and sour, baby."

Goku was never going to understand math.

* * *

_Fin The Umbrella_

_Please Review_

* * *

**To My Readers:**

**Rori Barton: **Been craving chili actually. As for more, not this fic. But I'm sure this has opened the doors to way more smut in the future. I'm glad you've enjoyed my story and hope you continue to read in the future. (bows)

**The Ghost of : **Hello and thank you. I'm very glad you like my stories.

**dk-joy****: **Nothing whatsoever, simply a matter of personal ethics. Thank you for reading.


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